As a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver who is only in his third season, Spire Motorsports' Carson Hocevar has taken advantage of the fact that he is not limited to running just eight starts, which itself is up from five from past years, in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Hocevar, who won the Truck race at Texas Motor Speedway in May, made his 10th Truck start of the 2026 season, most among all Cup drivers, behind the wheel of the No. 77 Chevrolet at North Wilkesboro Speedway this past weekend, although a flat tire ultimately resulted in a 27th place finish.
With the team deciding to have Hocevar place his full focus on Sunday's Brickyard 400 Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he continues to climb closer to clinching his first career playoff berth, he will not be in the No. 77 truck this weekend at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Carson Hocevar replacement confirmed for Indianapolis
Instead, it's Nick Sanchez who is set to make his first Truck Series start since the May 2025 race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Sanchez began the 2026 season as a full-time driver for AM Racing, Ford's lone remaining full-time team, in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, after unexpectedly losing his ride with Big Machine Racing after just one full season. But the team shut down just seven races into the year, and he has only since competed in select races for Peterson Racing.
Connor Mosack is set to drive Spire Motorsports' other truck, the No. 7 Chevrolet, after Chase Elliott drove it at North Wilkesboro, where the late Kyle Busch was supposed to have made the seventh of his eight scheduled Truck starts this year.
Beyond this weekend, the team have yet to confirm any additional plans for the No. 77 truck to close out the 2026 campaign.
Hocevar would technically be eligible to return for the race at Richmond Raceway in three weeks, but beyond that, no Cup drivers will be allowed to compete in the Truck Series this year, since the only races on the schedule after the Richmond race include the regular season finale at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the seven playoff races.
Fox Sports 1's live coverage of the TSport 200 is set to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday, July 24. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action from Lucas Oil Raceway!
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